HCP (HeatmapCovariatePl​ot)

Open-source package to generate publication-quality, highly customizable heatmaps annotated with continuous/categorical metadata variables.

HCP (HeatmapCovariatePlot) provides a simple high level application programming interface (API) to design elaborated visualizations in a modular fashion. The user can select which elements to include, covariate row annotations and/or heatmaps, by invoking the AddCovariateRow or the AddHeatmap methods. Elements can be vertically stacked and also grouped in functionally related sub-blocks encapsulated by the AddSubBlock method to adjust the figure layout. The plotting options in HCP are chosen sensibly to create production-quality out-of-the-box visualizations in most use-case. HCP features several plotting options to adjust the plot aesthetics to cater for the user preferences in terms of colormaps, labelling, legends and layouts (margins and positions). HCP ease-of-use and rapidity enables the users to iterate through multiple visualization alternatives while focusing on the message conveyed by the data rather than the technicalities involved in generating the plot.